State of the Cancer Program Address Part 1: Changing the Landscape

December 29, 2015 - 10:59 AM

Each year, Michael A. Caligiuri, MD, director of The Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center and CEO of the Arthur G. James Cancer Hospital and Richard J. Solove Research Institute, delivers his State of the Cancer Program Address, a review of the past year’s accomplishments and the goals for the coming year.

This year, the theme of “changing the landscape of cancer treatment and research” is woven throughout the address.

“We, ourselves, here at The James, here at the cancer center, here at The Ohio State University, are changing the landscape,” Dr. Caligiuri said, in his address. “We’ve come a long way, and what we’re doing now is really, really having great impact on the clinical care, and allowing more and more of our clinicians to say, ‘I’ve got some really good news.’”

He believes it is everyone at the OSUCCC – James’ responsibility to help the people of Ohio and beyond.

He noted that, on average, Ohio is poorer, less educated and less racially and ethnically diverse than the rest of the United States. In our state, he added, the smoking rate is higher than the national average, and the mortality rates for the top four cancers (breast, colon, lung and prostate) are far from where we would like it to be.

“One of the things we do here (is) create the answers (to these problems), and the other thing is disseminate knowledge … to see if we can’t change the landscape,” Dr. Caligiuri said.

We can change the landscape of cancer care, he said, through targeted investments in transdisciplinary research, collaboration, great talent and passionate multidisciplinary care.

This is part one of a four-part series recapping Dr. Michael A. Caligiuri’s 2015 State of the Cancer Program Address from Nov. 2, 2015. Stay tuned for part two next week.

If you or someone you know has received a cancer diagnosis and would like a second opinion or would like to speak to a cancer specialist, we are here to help. Call The James Line at 800-293-5066 or 614-293-5066 to make an appointment or to speak with an oncology nurse.

The James Line is a free, confidential telephone service staffed by OSUCCC – James oncology nurses to provide callers with cancer information and physician referrals. The James Line is available weekdays from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.